The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-01-01
A Monstrous Monopoly.
rNev Orleans CITY Item.l

Duke and Stahlman IN OpPosit'o" ~
the intel position OF lawtui coecns
against railroad Discrimination pare
into iusignificance before the iac's
which have just come to i'ght IN .Ie
United States Court At Louisville. Inc
suit was brought by an operator 'n on
named Rice against the receiver "i ''e
Cleveland & Marietta Raiiroad' ch"r.
ing that official with DISCRIMINATING J"
rates for oil against the complalna"'
and 10 favor OF the Standard vi Oo'A
pany. This suit touches only one
phase of the outrages pract'ced agalns'
Rice upon the demand OF the Chess
Carley Company, but it has revived
aud brought prominently forward solne
old practices which OF themselves are
sufficient to call for Congressional pro.
hibition to system that makes t"eln
possible.
The history Of the transactions when
led to the suit show that the Stahoatu
Oil Company owned the Macksooss
pipe Line, connecting with the Cleve-
land and Marietta Railroad; Dut us
enormous profits were interfered win
by Rice, who was trying to operate
rival line. Though he was unable, at
best, to pipe more than one>tentn as
much oil as the great monopoly ala,
vet that Overgrown and arrogant con-
Germ would brook no rival however IN
lsignifiicant, no competitor however
Trivial, To head him of, the company
required of the railroad, then and now
| In the hands of receiver, the imposi'
ton of discriminating rates against
Rice go excessive and prohibitory that
thew completely cut off all possibility
of profit. The application to the court
resulted in an investigation wbich
brought TO light the following impu'
dent demand of the oil company;
| The STANDARD Oil Company threatens to
store and afterwards pipe all oils under its
control unless you make the 1ollowlng Ut
rangements-yiz; You shall make 2 uni
form rate Of 50 cents PER garnG i g n Rvl
YOU shall charge them 10 cents per barrel
for their oil, and also pay them rs cents per
barrel out Of the IS cents collected OF otner
The receiver of the Cleveland and
| Marietta Railroad, influenced by some
j consideration which does not appear
upon the surface, cheerfully acquiesced
i in this precious scheme of robbery by
allowing the Standard Oil Company
/ rate more than sixty per cent below the
ordinary charge, and he also paid II
seventy per cent of the freight on oil
collected from other shippers. Upon
this showing Judge Baxter at once rec
moved the rt ceiver from his position,
, INT left the Standard Oil Company UNI
+ punished and free to corrupt the new
receiver in case he happens to be as
weak a, his predecessor.
Not only does the great oil monopoly
:, seek TO dominate the smaller local ano
= bankrupt roads by corrupting the re-
!, ceivers. but it appears that 1t controls
!, one of the great Southern through lines
: and now and then calls the agents as
sharply to account as it does merely
= disinterested receiver. The following
:, precious epistle was filed in the suit Il
|, corroborate the allegation OF Rice tina
g the Oil Company was no respecter O
= roads in carrying out its gigantic sys
- tenn of stamping out opposition:
> louisville, Ky. Mr., G. +. A. - Rail
p 5eaa s SomRShiEi & Co., Nashville
received car OF oil Monday; 18Th t sevensI
- on the usual tifth-class rate-ln TACT, w
n might say we know it did-paying onl;
h Sal SO freight from here; charges, $s1 AZ a.
, Please turn on another screw. Yours truly
> CHESS CARLEY COMPANY.
In response, the railroad official
y promptly turned on another screw, ant
,, the next shipment made to Wilkinson
u & Co. was billed at 500.
Outrages like the above have beer
n openly practiced for many years. The.
% are at once fraud on the people ant
- on the stock holders of the railroads
u we'll, whose officials, there Is ever.
}, reason to believe, find their profit II
!, standing in with the Standard Vi
'e Company. The Item has exposed elm
j. liar practices by railroads and monop
IS olies operating near New Orleans. Th
n oil dealers of the South have suffere
n from them, as have the lumber mer
20 the planters, and city merchants VIII
IS were not so fortunate as, to belong t
of the charmed circle of bribery and COZ
VI ruption.
< The Cullom bill--or what is dceme'
se by many equally effective--the Reaga
OF bill, now pending in Congress, woult
ii If enacted into law, completely chec
8, system which can prevent any ma
J. from conducting profitable bushes
+, in competition with monopoly TIC
ne enough and unprincipled enough
Or bribe railroad officials to interpos
70 ipsurmountable obstacles to the use
n the roads. The necessity for control
a ing the freight rates by Congress to tn
e. extent of making them alike to all,
far above any considerations or quill
"a bles as TO the form of the mandat
NJ And the bare statement OF the wv
we'll authenticated cases above presen
ed is as strong an argument In favor
MT and thorough action as COu'